Back to Rockvilletag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-3655542013-02-25T15:34:55-06:00The music blog of The Kansas City Star.
TypePadWe've moved ...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017c37177d9b970b2013-02-25T15:34:55-06:002013-02-25T15:34:55-06:00We’ve switched to another format to streamline this blog and its format and identity with other blogs and columns on KansasCity.com. Here is our new home. It also makes things easier for those who are interested in behind-the-scenes data and numbers. Everything else will remain the same. We’ll try to be your source for news and opinions about the local and national music scene in the Kansas City area. Please bookmark and keep reading.BacktoRockville

We’ve switched to another format to streamline this blog and its format and identity with other blogs and columns on KansasCity.com. Here is our new home.

It also makes things easier for those who are interested in behind-the-scenes data and numbers. Everything else will remain the same.

We’ll try to be your source for news and opinions about the local and national music scene in the Kansas City area. Please bookmark and keep reading.

On the way: Govt Muletag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017c36feeda7970b2013-02-20T11:48:52-06:002013-02-20T11:48:52-06:00They are coming to the Uptown Theater on April 30, a Tuesday. The Revivalists open. Tickets to the all-ages show go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $25 to $85.BacktoRockville

They are coming to the Uptown Theater on April 30, a Tuesday. The Revivalists open. Tickets to the all-ages show go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $25 to $85.

Ink's Middle of the Map announces more bandstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017c36f9f3ac970b2013-02-20T11:01:00-06:002013-02-20T11:01:00-06:00Organizers of the 2013 Ink's Middle of the Map Fest have added more bands to the festival's lineup, including headliner Divne Fits, who feature Britt Daniel of Spoon, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, and Sam Brown ofthe New Bomb Turks. The festival has also announced the addition of Kansas City-area bands and the lineups for several showcases and day-parties. (See below.) More than 100 bands that will perform April 4-6 at venues in and near Westport. Writing for Ink magazine, a sister publication of The Star, Bill Brownlee said of Divine Fits: Spoon’s Britt Daniel and Dan Boeckner of Wolf...BacktoRockville

Organizers of the 2013 Ink's Middle of the Map Fest have added more bands to the festival's lineup, including headliner Divne Fits, who feature Britt Daniel of Spoon, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, and Sam Brown ofthe New Bomb Turks. The festival has also announced the addition of Kansas City-area bands and the lineups for several showcases and day-parties. (See below.) More than 100 bands that will perform April 4-6 at venues in and near Westport.

Writing for Ink magazine, a sister publication of The Star, Bill Brownlee said of Divine Fits: Spoon’s Britt Daniel and Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs sound like rejuvenated men in their roles as the primary artistic forces of their new band, Divine Fits.

“A Thing Called Divine Fits,” their vital 2012 debut album, combines the impeccable pop instincts of Daniel with Boeckner's inclination to rock out. A playful homage to the alternative scene of the 1980s, the album features primal synth-pop and the unadorned guitar rock associated with early episodes ofMTV’s “120 Minutes.” Along with band mates Sam Brown and Alex Fischel, Daniel and Boeckner are creating some of today’s most unlikely and refreshing indie rock.

The festival's initial announcement included headliners Grizzly Bear, Deerhoof, the Joy Formidable, Tennis and Wovenhand. A three-day pass to the music festival is available for $45. This year’s Middle of the Map will feature two other components: the Art, Culture and Tech Forum (April 18-19) and the Middle of the Map Film Fest (May 1-5).Passes to the technology/culture forum are $50, and a pass to the film festival costs $25. A pass to all three components is available for $100. Tickets are on sale now at the Middle of the Map web site.

NEW BANDS

Divine Fits

Futurebirds

Dent May

Benoît Pioulard

Air Review

Pyschic Twin

Great American Canyon Band

NEW KC AREA BANDS

Beautiful Bodies

Hearts of Darkness

Not A Planet

Drew Black & Dirty Electric

Berwanger

Schwervon!

Hospital Ships

Scratch Track

SHOWCASES & DAY PARTIES

I Heart Local Music Day Party

y(our) fri(end)

The Sluts

Oils

Chevy Music Showcase

Margo May

David Burchfield & the Great Stop

Silver Maggies

Sons of Great Dane

96.5 The Buzz Day Party

Dead Girls

The Slowdown

Cherokee Rock Rifle

Clairaudients

90.9 The Bridge Day Party

Blackbird Revue

Cadillac Flambe

We Are Voices

John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons

Money Wolf Music Showcase

Dead Ven

Hillary Watts Riot

Dollar Fox

The Latenight Callers

Golden Sounds Record Showcase

The Caves

The Empty Spaces

Hidden Pictures

Fullbloods

High Dive Records Showcase

ACBs

Shy Boys

Fourth of July

Ghosty

IndyGround Entertainment

Steddy P & DJ Mahf

Brett Gretzky

Info Gates

Two4One

Dutch Newman

Tom Richman

Les Izmore Patio Bash

Ebony Tusks

Stik Figa

The Conquerors

The Abnorm

Barbaric Merits

MOKAN TWANG Showcase

Bands to be announced

On the way: Rushtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017ee89afd07970d2013-02-19T01:01:08-06:002013-02-19T01:01:08-06:00They are coming to the Sprint Center on Aug. 4, a Sunday. Presale is on at noon today, Feb. 19. The regular sale starts Monday, Feb. 25.BacktoRockville

They are coming to the Sprint Center on Aug. 4, a Sunday. Presale is on at noon today, Feb. 19. The regular sale starts Monday, Feb. 25.

Canceled: Cradle of Filthtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017d41104954970c2013-02-14T13:58:28-06:002013-02-14T13:58:28-06:00The March 17th show at the Granada featuring Cradle of Filth, Decapitated, the Faceless andt the Agonist has been canceled. Get your money back at the same place you spent it.BacktoRockville

The March 17th show at the Granada featuring Cradle of Filth, Decapitated, the Faceless andt the Agonist has been canceled. Get your money back at the same place you spent it.

Amy Winehouse tribute and a music benefittag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017ee883a472970d2013-02-14T11:29:12-06:002013-02-14T11:30:35-06:00The Kansas City All-Star Tribute to Amy Winehouse starts at 10 p.m. Saturday at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road. Admission to the 18-and-older show is $12. Amy Winehouse would have turned 30 in September. She died at home in England in July 2011 of accidental alcohol poisoning. Winehouse left much behind: a modest but acclaimed discography (two full-lengths and three collections of B-sides and odds and sods, one of them posthumous); legions of fans who loved and admired her take on R&B, soul and jazz; and an image that was as sullied and controversial as it was respected. This weekend...BacktoRockville

The Kansas City All-Star Tribute to Amy Winehouse starts at 10 p.m. Saturday at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road. Admission to the 18-and-older show is $12.

Amy Winehouse would have turned 30 in September. She died at home in England in July 2011 of accidental alcohol poisoning.

Winehouse left much behind: a modest but acclaimed discography (two full-lengths and three collections of B-sides and odds and sods, one of them posthumous); legions of fans who loved and admired her take on R&B, soul and jazz; and an image that was as sullied and controversial as it was respected.

This weekend a group of Kansas City musicians and vocalists will pay tribute to Winehouse and her music. The Kansas City All-Star Tribute to Amy Winehouse starts at 10 p.m. Saturday at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road.

The 13-piece all-star ensemble includes vocalists Lauren Krum of the Grisly Hand, Julia Haile of the Good Foot, Lo Demanche of the Sex Police and Danielle Metz. The rest of the band comprises three members of the Elders — Kian Byrne (also of New Riddim) on drums, Norm Dahlor on bass and Joe Miquelon on keyboards — Tim Braun of the Good Foot on guitar; and Adam Wagner, Nick Howell, Nick Rowland — all members of the Good Foot — and Mike Walker and Marshall Tinnermeier on horns.

Krum has been a Winehouse devotee since she first heard her sing.

“I remember where I was standing and what I was doing the first time I heard Amy Winehouse’s voice,” she said. “Sometimes you hear a singer or musician and you think, ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’

“She was such an honest and strong female voice. No one has ever or will ever sound the way she does, and that makes covering her material both attractive and intimidating. There’s an element of intuition present for all the singers who are performing because we’ve all sung her songs to ourselves — in our rooms and in our cars. There’s a bond with her and with her music, and through shared experiences, that I think will be apparent on Saturday.

“I’m so incredibly excited to sing with this group of women again. Lady harmonies are so much fun.”

Demanche, who has performed with the ska/reggae band the Sex Police, another all-star Kansas City band, will perform five songs, including four from “Back to Black: The B-Sides”: “You’re Wondering Now,” “Hey Little Rich Girl,” “Cupid” and the Specials’ “Monkey Man.”

“I didn’t start out being a huge fan of her, in general,” she said. “She was such a hot mess. After spending time learning my selections — her ska covers, of course — and realizing that she had such a profound influence on the other girls in the show, I gained a lot of respect for her body of work.

“She ripped her heart open to write a lot of those songs, and I’m afraid she couldn’t ever repair the damage.”

Cowboy Indian Bear

Music benefits health clinic

The eighth-annual JayRock Benefit Concert is this weekend at the Uptown Theater. Quiet Corral and Cowboy Indian Bear will perform at the show, which benefits the JayDoc Free Clinic, a service run by students at the University of Kansas Medical Center. It treats more than 2,000 patients annually. The clinic estimates that it delivers nearly $1.7 million in health care each year.

Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday. General admission tickets are $20; VIP seating is available for $40. The VIP ticket provides admission to the VIP area and food, beverages and other amenities. VIP events start at 6 p.m.

Free CD-release party

Brent Kinder has a long history in the local music scene, going back to the mid-1990s and the band the Black Water. Angie Fights Crime is his current and longtime band. In the past seven years, he has recorded 22 albums — yes, 22 — under its name.

“I write music,” he said. “I can’t really help myself most of the time. If I’m running, I’ll hear a song in my head. If I’m watching baseball or basketball, I’ll have an acoustic guitar strumming out stuff.

“The RPM Challenge really made me realize that if you call yourself a songwriter, then that’s what you should be doing. After the first year of RPM, I realized I was gearing up toward that every year earlier and earlier. Then, I just couldn’t wait that long, I had to do something sooner, and before I knew it I was doing two to three albums a year.”

The national RPM songwriting challenge is this: Record an album of original, unreleased songs in the month of February — 10 songs or 35 minutes of material. No prizes are awarded. Music is posted at the RPM website. Kinder has participated in the challenge for several years, including this year.

Aside from writing for that, he has finished yet another album, “The Vulnerary Songs.” Saturday night at Prospero’s Books, 1800 W. 39th St., he and a three-piece band will perform songs from that album. Showtime is 10 p.m. Admission is free. CD versions of the album will be available at Prospero’s “for a few bucks,” Kinder said. It is also available free online at Soundcloud.com.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

Your Flatlands Country Music Fest presaletag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017ee87d3099970d2013-02-13T13:24:18-06:002013-02-13T13:24:18-06:00The presale for the Flatlands Music Festival is on now. Go here; enter FLTARG in the special-code box. The three-day festival is Sept. 12-14 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., the home of the Sporting Kansas City soccer team. Tickets are $100 to $620. The lineup includes Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square, Kevin Fowler, and J.T. Hodges. The Charlie Daniels Band will perform at a free concert outside the stadium on Sept. 12. More acts will be announced in March.BacktoRockville

The presale for the Flatlands Music Festival is on now. Go here; enter FLTARG in the special-code box. The three-day festival is Sept. 12-14 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., the home of the Sporting Kansas City soccer team. Tickets are $100 to $620. The lineup includes Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square, Kevin Fowler, and J.T. Hodges. The Charlie Daniels Band will perform at a free concert outside the stadium on Sept. 12. More acts will be announced in March.

On the way: Giants and Monsterstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017ee87d2985970d2013-02-13T13:16:08-06:002013-02-13T13:18:06-06:00Crossroads KC has announced two shows of the 2013 season: Of Monsters and Men on May 21, a Tuesday. Tickets are $27 to $76.50. On sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They Might Be Giants on June 6, a Thursday. Tickets are $24 to $61.50. On sale now.BacktoRockville

Crossroads KC has announced two shows of the 2013 season:

Of Monsters and Men on May 21, a Tuesday. Tickets are $27 to $76.50. On sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

They Might Be Giants on June 6, a Thursday. Tickets are $24 to $61.50. On sale now.

Restless Heart with the Kansas City Symphony, May 11, Kauffman Center. $45-$75

Rodney Carrington, May 16, Midland. $27.50-$47.50

Alex Bugnon and Cindy Bradley, May 18, Gem Theater. $45-$51.75

The XX, June 4, Uptown. $39.50-$55.50

Ray Price with Dallas Wayne, June 7, Knuckleheads. $35

Kenny Chesney with Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves, June 15, Arrowhead. $25-$220.40

Father John Misty with Pure Bathing Culture, June 16, Granada. $17

Leon Russell, June 22, Knuckleheads. $32.50

One Direction, July 19, Sprint Center. Officially sold out.

Rick Springfield, July 27, Midland. $29.50-$79.50

Taylor Swift, Aug. 2 and 3, Sprint Center. $29.50-$84.50

| Dan Kelly, The Star

Eminent and imminent: 10 shows from Thursday to Sundaytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c73cc53ef017d41024203970c2013-02-12T16:25:23-06:002013-02-12T16:25:47-06:00Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Thursday Riot Room Long before the throwback R&B of the Alabama Shakes galvanized appreciative listeners, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were throwing down retro soul for delighted fans. Known for manic performances in the showy tradition of James Brown and Sam & Dave, the Austin-based band is a riveting live act capable of sending dancers into a frenzy with deranged material like "She's So Scandalous" and "Booty City." The Les Izmore Therapy Hour, a project Kansas City rapper Izmore describes as "a live mixtape," precedes Lewis' band. Dropout Boogie will also be on...BacktoRockville

Black Joe Lewis & the HoneybearsThursdayRiot RoomLong before the throwback R&B of the Alabama Shakes galvanized appreciative listeners, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were throwing down retro soul for delighted fans. Known for manic performances in the showy tradition of James Brown and Sam & Dave, the Austin-based band is a riveting live act capable of sending dancers into a frenzy with deranged material like "She's So Scandalous" and "Booty City." The Les Izmore Therapy Hour, a project Kansas City rapper Izmore describes as "a live mixtape," precedes Lewis' band. Dropout Boogie will also be on hand to spin vintage vinyl. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance.

Carrie RodriguezThursdayKnuckleheadsCarrie Rodriguez is an ideal companion for Valentine's Day. While the Texan is an unabashed romantic, her artfully constructed songs document the complexities of relationships. Much like Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell, Rodriguez is a torchbearer for the grand tradition of Texas troubadours. Her earthy new album Give Me All You Got ranges from the sultry folk of "I Don't Mind Waiting," the upbeat swing of "Devil In My Mind" and the simmering rock of "I Cry For Love." While she'll be armed with a fiddle and a guitar rather than an arrow and a torch, Rodriguez should make a fine surrogate for Cupid on Thursday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance. A special Valentine Day package with "a candlelit steak dinner for two with fries and salad and a bottle of wine and reserved seats" is $78.50 per couple.

Twenty One PilotsThursdayThe BottleneckAn ingenious amalgamation of the dramatic pop of Fun and the manic cheerleader-rock of Matt & Kim, Twenty One Pilots consists of a clever pair of Ohioans. The radio-ready music of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun may not be innovative, but it's incredibly catchy. Regional At Best, the title of the duo's 2011 album, doesn't reflect Twenty One Pilots' enormous ambition. The peppy rock of opening band New Politics is also carefully constructed for mass appeal. Much of the Danish act's material sounds like savvy rewrites of hits by bands ranging from the Strokes to Blur. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $11 in advance.

Zac Brown BandFridaySprint CenterThe most unlikely of country superstars, the Zac Brown Band are good ol' boys who seem as if they'd be pleased as punch by the opportunity to play covers of Jimmy Buffett and the Allman Brothers Band at their neighborhood tavern. Brown and his bandmates aren't glamorous. Their music is correspondingly humble. Yet a string of agreeable hits like "Chicken Fried" and "Toes" has put the Atlanta based-band to work as headliners in arenas. The Sprint Center will be transformed into a sanctuary of low-key charm and relaxed boogie on Friday. Blackberry Smoke, Southern rock traditionalists from Georgia, will set the amiable mood. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show range from $33.50 to $63.50.

GalacticFridayLiberty HallAficionados of New Orleans' fertile music scene may engage in fiery debates about which of the city's acts plays the most righteous brand of funk. There can be little argument, however, that Galactic is currently the most popular funk band from the Crescent City. One reason for the band's success is its eagerness to incorporate wildly disparate sounds including metal and hip-hop into its traditional mix of jazz and R&B. Corey Glover, best known for singing the 1988 hit "Cult of Personality" with Living Color, is Galactic's primary vocalist. Alabama-based dance act Boombox and the Californian hip hop crew Latyrx with Lyrics Born and LaTeef the Truth Speaker open the show. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $22.50 in advance and $25.50 on the day of the show.

Not a PlanetSaturdayThe BrickA set of videos recently posted to Not a Planet's YouTube channel feature band vocalist Nathan Corsi covering songs by Outkast, the Shins and Amy Winehouse. The mix reflects Not a Planet's eclectic sensibility. Saturday's bill of locally-based rock bands at the Brick is similarly inclusive. Not a Planet's headlining performance will be preceded by three acts. David Hasselhoff on Acid creates noisy art-metal in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan. The muscular sound of Cherokee Rock Rifle makes it a potent live act. Rev Gusto is a a deceptively imaginative throwback pop band. The show is a fundraiser for the Midcoast Takeover showcase of Kansas City artists at SXSW next month. The cover for the 10 p.m. show is $10.

Kishi BashiSundayRecordBarFor fans of the sort of intellectually discerning folk-rock associated with Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, Kishi Bashi's appearance at the RecordBar will be a contender for the concert of the year. The Virginia-based artist creates gentle soundscapes that awaken gloriously vivid daydreams. When he performs as a one-man band, Bashi builds virtual symphonies by deftly looping samples of his virtuosic work on violin and his flexible voice. A giddy sense of joy imbues all of his material. Plume Giant, a Vaudeville-tinged folk trio from Brooklyn, opens the show.Tickets to the 9 p.m. show are $10 in advance.

Gary AllanSunday VooDoo LoungeEven in the relatively conservative realm of country, it's uncommon for an artist to hit his or her commercial peak after the age of forty. Yet Gary Allan, 45, topped the country album charts for the first time last month with Set You Free, the ninth album by the gritty veteran. The release was driven by the massive success of the inspirational single "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)." The song's motivational tone contrasts with Allan's most distinctive hits. Allan's "Watching Airplanes," "Get Off On the Pain" and "Smoke Rings In the Dark" are among the most gut-wrenching country hits of the past 15 years.Tickets to the 8 p.m. show range from $45 to $75.

Electric SixSundayRiot RoomThe Riot Room is not a gay bar. Even so, the Westport venue will be packed with throngs of people gleefully shouting the words "gay bar" on Sunday. "Gay Bar," the signature song of the Electric Six, is a delirious celebration of desire. The manic Detroit-based garage band specializes in hilariously confrontational songs. By combining the decadent lyrical content of vintage disco with contemporary glam-rock, the band appeals to revelers eager to twist and shout to absurd material with titles like "Dance Commander" and "I Buy the Drugs." The Dead Girls, expert masters of power pop from Lawrence, open the show. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $14 in advance.

Mod SunSunday The GranadaMod Sun's official mission statement- "choose to be happy"- is exemplified by a simplistic world view that extols the virtues of marijuana, tie-dye and sunshine. The titles of songs like "Stop Everything You're Doing Right Now and Smile" and "Forever Woodstock" are certain to make cynical observers smirk. Yet Mod Sun's novel "hippy hop" concept seems to be paying off. The euphoric videos of the Minnesota-based psychedelic rapper have racked up over a million views in the past year. A host of companions including Cisco Adler, Pat Brown, Tayyib Ali and Bryan Lockwood will help Mod Sun spread good vibrations on Sunday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.